Proper emergency department use

Proper use of emergency department for better care, lower costs

We want to help your employees get the care they need – and save money – with proper use of the emergency department.

Emergency departments are appropriate for serious injuries and life-threatening situations. In other circumstances, your employees will get better results by seeing their primary care provider or by going to an urgent care center for immediate needs.

Beginning immediately, we’ll be contacting employees, escalating the urgency of our messages as inappropriate use of the emergency department continues:

• First, employees will receive a letter educating them about appropriate use of primary care providers, urgent care centers and emergency departments.
• Next, we’ll call your employee to review appropriate use of primary care providers, urgent care centers and emergency departments.
• Finally, we’ll send a letter stating Priority Health may deny payment when the emergency department is used for non-emergency health issues.
• A Priority Health case manager will contact members who use the emergency department for non-emergent conditions four times within a six-month period.

Educating our members about care options is part of our ongoing work to keep premiums affordable by controlling costs while providing excellent care.

Contact your sales representative with questions about this campaign.